This application is related to and claims priority from Japanese Patent Applications No. 2001-309060 filed on Oct. 4, 2001 and No. 2001-309130 filed on Oct. 4, 2001, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner with automatic air-conditioning control where a voltage applied to a blower motor is calculated based on a predetermined air amount control characteristic, and the blower motor is automatically controlled. Particularly, the vehicle air conditioner is a learning automatic air conditioner where the air amount control characteristic is learned and changed so that an air-conditioning control amount, manually set in an air-amount automatic control, is reflected in the next automatic air-conditioning control after the manual operation is performed.
2. Description of Related Art
In conventional vehicle air conditioners, a voltage applied to a blower motor is calculated based on a predetermined air amount control characteristic, and the blower motor is automatically controlled. Among the automatic-control air conditioners, a learning automatic air conditioner with a learning function is disclosed in JP-A-7-329539. In the learning automatic air conditioner, when a passenger manually sets an air blowing amount in an air amount automatic mode where an amount of air blown from each air outlet port is automatically controlled, the above air amount control characteristic is changed so that the manual set amount is reflected in the automatic air-conditioning control after the manual operation is performed. In the learning automatic air conditioner, each manually set amount in the automatic control mode is stored in a storage medium (memory). Then, when the storage medium is filled to its storage capacity, the manually set amounts stored in the storage medium are averaged, and the averaged amount is stored in the storage medium while the stored manually-set amounts are erased.
In the conventional learning automatic air conditioner, when the storage capacity of the storage medium is sufficiently large, an air-amount automatic control corresponding to a passenger""s preference can be performed. However, in this case, an expensive storage medium having a large memory capacity is required, and production cost of the vehicle air conditioner is increased. Further, even if irregular operation is manually set, the irregular manual operation is faithfully reflected in the automatic air-conditioning control, and a regular control pattern based on the air-conditioning control characteristic is largely disturbed.
In view of the above problems, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a vehicle air conditioner with an automatic air-conditioning control having a learning function, which reduces production cost.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle air conditioner where irregular manual operation is difficult to be reflected in the automatic air-conditioning control.
According to the present invention, in a vehicle air conditioner having automatic control, a change portion learns and changes an air-conditioning control characteristic of an air-conditioning portion in accordance with a manual control value when an operation portion is manually operated in the automatic control, so that the manual control value is reflected in the next automatic control. The change portion includes determining means for determining a necessary degree of a learning control of the air-conditioning control characteristic by determining whether the manual control value is within a predetermined range, and the change portion controls a reflecting degree of the manual control value in the air-conditioning control characteristic based on the necessary degree of the learning control. Accordingly, it is compared with a case where the air-conditioning control characteristic is learned and changed without a distinction relative to all manual operation, memory capacity of a memory portion for memorizing the air-conditioning control characteristic can be made smaller. Thus, the production cost of the vehicle air conditioner can be reduced, while the passenger""s preference can be effectively reflected.
Preferably, when the manual control value is in a readily sensible area in which a change of the air-conditioning state due to the manual control value is readily sensible by the passenger, the change portion increases the reflecting degree of the manual control value reflected in the next automatic control, as compared with a case where the manual control value is in an unreadily sensible area in which a change of the air-conditioning state due to the manual control value is difficult to be sensible by the passenger. Accordingly, in the readily sensible area, the manual operation can be accurately reflected in the air-conditioning control characteristic. On the other hand, irregular manual operation is difficult to be reflected. Thus, the memory capacity of the memory member can be reduced, and the cost of the vehicle air conditioner can be reduced.
The memory portion can store plural manual control values set by the operation portion through plural manual operations. In this case, when a change of the air-conditioning state due to a manual control value among the plural manual control values is readily sensible by the passenger, the change portion increases the reflecting degree of the manual control value reflected in the next automatic control, as compared with a case where a change of the air-conditioning state due to a manual control value among the plural manual control values is difficult to be sensible by the passenger. Accordingly, the same effect described above can be obtained.
Preferably, when the manual control value is in the readily sensible area, the memory portion increases a storing time for which the manual control value is stored, as compared with a case where the manual control value is the unreadily sensible area. Accordingly, the passenger""s preference can be effectively reflected while the memory capacity can be reduced.
When a time for which an environmental condition for the air conditioning state is maintained is longer than a predetermined time period, the change portion increases the reflecting degree of the manual control value reflected in the next automatic control, as compared with a case where the time is shorter than the predetermined time period.
Further, in a first mode such as a face mode and bi-level mode, the change portion increases the reflecting degree of the manual control value reflected in the next automatic control, as compared with that in a second mode such as a foot mode.
On the other hand, when a difference between the manual control value and a basic control value that is stored in the memory portion is larger than a predetermined level, the change portion decreases the reflecting degree of the manual control value reflected in the next automatic control, as compared with a case where the difference is smaller than the predetermined level. Alternatively, when the difference between the manual control value and the basic control value that is stored in the memory portion is larger than a predetermined level, the change portion controls the reflecting degree of the manual control value reflected in the next automatic control at a substantially constant value. Accordingly, it is unnecessary to consider a manual control value that is greatly different from the basic control value, and the air-conditioning control characteristic can be readily approximated by a simple line, and the memory capacity can be further reduced.
When the manual control value is at a maximum value or a minimum value in an operation range of the operation portion, the change portion controls the reflecting degree of the manual control value reflected in the next automatic control at a small degree. Alternatively, when an air amount to be blown into the passenger compartment is smaller than a predetermined amount or when the air amount to be blown into the passenger compartment is smaller than the predetermined amount after the manual operation, the change portion decreases the reflecting degree of the manual control value reflected in the next automatic control.